Good user experience (UX) in online and offline retail shopping matters. A poor experience can poison the well, and people simply will not go back, especially if they have functional, sexier alternatives. Another dimension of this, of course, is that paid and owned media are losing influence. Customers talk to each other a lot, and not about brand attributes that marketers talk about. They talk about their experiences, and these experiences cover all aspects of the journey. To fit seamlessly into consumers’ lives, users’ experiences must be mapped, measured, and elegantly designed.

Today, Connected Consumers can ask Echo (a wireless speaker and voice command device from Amazon) to send them a new bag of kitty litter in three seconds. I can go into a store and pay for a pile of groceries by tapping my card. Using an image recognition app, I can order a bottle of wine online. Suffice to say that it seems that almost any product I can think of, I can acquire using multiple types of technology and media.